


Our Royal Romance

by 0nce_Upon_My_Story



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Actress Lily, Alternate Universe - Royalty, Blackinnon (secondary focus), Blackinnon as Kate and William, British Royals - Freeform, Duchess Marlene, F/M, Harry Potter/British Royals crossover, Jily Royalty AU, Jily as Meghan and Harry, Kate and William, Marauders/British Royals crossover, Meghan and Harry, Modern Royalty, Prince James - Freeform, Prince Sirius, Royalty, Specially for fellow royal fans, blackinnon, jily, jily au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-21
Updated: 2020-01-27
Packaged: 2021-02-26 02:35:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,265
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21886069
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/0nce_Upon_My_Story/pseuds/0nce_Upon_My_Story
Summary: (Loosely based on the love story of Prince Harry of England and Meghan Markle – because I'm a HUGE royal fan)He was Prince James Arthur William Charlus, the Duke of Pottersmouth. She was Lily Evans, American actress and model. They were set up on a blind date by a mutual friend, and the rest, as they say, is history…
Relationships: James Potter/Lily Evans Potter, Sirius Black/Marlene McKinnon
Comments: 8
Kudos: 22
Collections: James and Lily Fanfics





	1. Setting the Scene

**Author's Note:**

> **Hi guys! This is something I started writing while fangirling madly when Harry and Meghan were in South Africa, but I fell in love with the idea anew after re-reading its concept summary. After all, I am such a royal fan - how could I possibly resist writing this?**
> 
> **If there's anyone else out there who's slightly obsessed with both Jily and the British royal family - well, without sounding too arrogant, I think this might be just the fic for you!**
> 
> **DISCLAIMER: I do not own any Harry Potter characters you might recognize – all rights go to the amazing J.K. Rowling. Obviously, I also don't own Meghan Markle and Prince Harry or their love story – I just choose to use them as my muse.**
> 
> **That should be all, then. On to the story!**

"You want to what?" Lily looked at her friend in disbelief.

"I want to set you up on a date," Mary repeated.

"No _way!"_ Lily protested.

"Come on, Lils," Mary cajoled. "You've been single for, what, nearly four months now!"

"Maybe I don't want to be in a relationship."

"Don't be ridiculous, of course you do."

"How do you know that?"

"The fact that you tried again with Christopher says something."

"What does it say?"

"That you're finally getting over Snape." Mary's lip curled with disgust as she spat the name.

Even after three years, the name still caused a stir in Lily's heart. True, she had stopped loving Sev a long time ago – the night he called her a _dirty slag,_ in fact – but she still found herself missing him from time to time. They really had been very close.

"Christopher didn't work out," Lily reminded her friend.

"That doesn't mean anything! He wasn't the right guy for you, is all."

"What if I'm just not meant for love?" Lily tried not to sound too depressive, but the truth was, the thought had been nagging at her for months now. It had begun to seem like every single relationship she tried had ended in some form of disaster.

Mary gave her a sharp look. "You don't really believe that."

"Well…"

"Lily!"

"All right, all right, I'll give it a try. Who is this guy, anyway?"

"His name is James," Mary began.

"How do you know him?"

"You remember I told you about my friend Marlene?" At Lily's nod, she continued. "Well, he's her brother-in-law."

Lily bolted upright. "Wait, wait, wait. Didn't Marlene marry Prince Sirius?"

Mary nodded casually.

"That means… Mary, you want to set me up with _Prince James of England?"_

"I don't see what's so shocking about that," Mary said.

"Uh, we're talking about the same guy, right? _Prince_ James?"

"Yes, Lily, and you're a gorgeous, confident actress."

"I know that, but a _prince?"_

"He's the kind of guy I think you'll be perfect with," Mary said defensively. "For the record, Marlene thinks so too."

Lily flopped back onto her bed, staring at the ceiling as though it might take her side. "I don't believe you."

"Does that mean you'll go?"

Lily didn't reply, studying the ceiling with renewed interest.

"Come _on,_ Lily! It's just one date! How bad could it be?"

Lily decided it would be better not to answer that question.

"I've got a point, Lily, and you know it. If this guy can make you happy, surely it'll be worth it?"

"Is he nice?" Lily asked abruptly.

"Very," Mary assured her. "Funny, too. And handsome."

"He sounds like quite the catch," Lily said drily.

"He _is,"_ Mary said emphatically. "I know you don't believe me, Lil, but I really think this could be the guy for you."

She looked earnestly at Lily, sincerity in her eyes and voice. Lily sighed and got up, running a hand through her tangled red hair.

"All right, then. When's this thing happening?"

"This Friday," Mary said. "You're meeting at the Everleigh Nightclub in King West street."

"Swanky," Lily said, impressed despite herself.

Mary gave her a look. "Prince, remember?"

"Right, right. How could I forget?" Lily chuckled.

"Make sure you don't," Mary advised. "I think this is going to be one of the best things you ever agreed to."

*****

"I'm sorry, _what?"_ James stared at Mary incredulously.

"I. Want. To. Set. You. Up. On. A. Date," she repeated slowly.

"It's finally happened. You've finally lost your mind," he said, throwing his hands in the air. "I'm not going on a _date,_ MacDonald!"

"Why on earth not?" Mary challenged.

"I don't want to," he said defensively.

"You don't even know who I want to set you up with."

"I don't care. I'm not interested."

"You should be! _This_ is not healthy." She gestured at his messy suite, frowning disapprovingly at the large number of whisky bottles tucked behind the sofa.

"So you think this mysterious girl can make my life bright and happy again?" James asked sceptically.

"Yes," Mary said simply.

"You mean that?"

"With all my heart."

The sincerity in her voice caught James by surprise. Sitting down, he took a deep breath before saying, "Who is she, then?"

"Her name is Lily Evans," Mary said with a small smile. "She's a good friend of mine."

"Lily Evans," James said, liking the way the name rolled off his tongue. "Sounds familiar. Where could I have heard of her?"

"Well, for starters, I _do_ talk about her rather a lot. She's the girl who dated Severus Snape for a while."

"The Communist guy? Ugh, I hated him."

"Me too," Mary said with feeling. "But Lily had known him since they were children, and she insisted he was better than I thought."

"Was he?"

"No," Mary said, with a vicious scowl. "He ripped Lily's heart from her chest and stomped it into tiny little bits."

He heard the unspoken end to her sentence loud and clear – _not unlike you and Patty._

"And now she needs a knight in shining armour to piece her heart together again," James said, striking a dramatic pose.

Mary smirked. "You've missed your chance, I'm afraid. Immediately after Snape, Lily dated Christopher Kettling."

"The chef?" James asked, dropping onto his stomach.

"Exactly. They broke up about four months ago, but it helped Lily move on."

"Good for her," he commented.

"Yes, but that's not the point. She's still not entirely over Snape, however much she might pretend otherwise. They were _engaged,_ for God's sake!"

James gaped. "Poor girl," he said with feeling.

"I want her to be happy," Mary said softly. "And I also want you to be happy, James."

"So you thought we could make each other happy?"

"I hope so," she said gently. "It'll be good for both of you."

"Okay," James said, surprising himself. "I'll do it."

Mary threw her arms around him. "That's great! I'm so glad."

"Yeah, yeah," he said, patting her shoulder affectionately. "But I need _details,_ Mary. Where, when? That kind of thing."

"Right you are," Mary said briskly. "You're leaving Toronto next Monday, and you're busy as hell until then. I managed to find a free spot this Friday, though, so you're going to Everleigh Night Club."

"I look forward to it," James said. "This Lily sounds very interesting."

"Oh, she is," Mary assured him. "And gorgeous."

James grinned. "You know me far too well, Mary."

"That I do – both of you. That's why I _know_ you'll end up changing each other's lives for the better."

*****

"So, I'm going on a date tonight," Lily confessed, clinking her glass against Alice's.

Her friend looked shocked. "Wait, _what?"_

"I said, I'm going on a date tonight. With Prince James of England," Lily said with a small grin.

Alice almost dropped her glass in shock. "I can't believe it!" she said happily, coming around the table to hug Lily.

"I can barely believe it, either," Lily confessed.

"Do you know what you're letting yourself in for?" Alice asked jokingly.

"Well, it's going to be quite an experience, and a fun night, I'm sure," Lily replied.

Alice knocked her wine glass enthusiastically against Lily's. "Well, I'll drink to that!"

*****

"Oy, Padfoot?"

"Yeah, what is it?" Sirius asked, reluctantly opening his eyes.

James poked his brother in the stomach. "You're going to want to hear this, mate."

"Get on with it, then. I need my beauty sleep."

James rolled his eyes. "You're ridiculous."

"And you're not saying anything interesting," Sirius countered.

"You want interesting? Well, I'm going on a date tonight."

Sirius sat up so fast he banged his head on the arm of the couch. "WHAT?"

"A date," James repeated. "With a girl called Lily Evans."

"The one Mary's always going on about?"

"That's the one."

Sirius settled back down on the couch. "Aren't you the lucky guy."

"I think I am, actually," James said defensively.

"No, I was serious," Sirius said. "It's just that Evans has a bad reputation for leaving her suitors with black eyes."

"That was _once._ And besides, she wouldn't dare hit a prince."

"According to Mary, she just might."

"Then she sounds like the perfect girl for me, don't you think?" James said, half-kidding but half meaning what he said.

"Actually, I think she could be."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Unfortunately, this fanfic won't be updated very regularly at all - I'm really busy right now with university and all the other stories I'm also currently working on. However, it's one of the best-planned-out fics I've ever started, so I'm actually really excited about it, and I'll update as often as I can.**
> 
> **If you liked this fic, please do let me know - I adore comments, and they're great for inspiration!**
> 
> **Thanks for reading!**


	2. Blind Date

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> (Loosely based on the love story of Prince Harry of England and actress Meghan Markle – because I’m a HUGE royal fan)   
> He was Prince James Arthur William Charlus, the Duke of Pottersmouth. She was Lily Evans, American actress and model. They were set up on a blind date by a mutual friend, and the rest, as they say, is history… 
> 
> IN THIS CHAPTER: James and Lily go on the blind date.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Hi guys! It feels so good to be back. This chapter is written in honour of Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's first public appearance of 2020 (and in two months, I might add!) yesterday. I've really missed seeing them out and about, and it's just fantastic to have them back.  
>   
>  I hope you guys enjoy reading this chapter as much as I did writing it!**

Lily studied her reflection in the mirror, turning to inspect herself from every angle. 

“You look fantastic,” Mary said, peeping into the bathroom to smile encouragingly at Lily. 

Lily smiled. Her friend was right – she really did look fantastic. 

She was wearing a skin-tight blue-green dress that flattered her figure in all the right places, and had the added bonus of bringing out the colour of her eyes. A delicate silver necklace glittered against her pale skin, and her legs looked unusually long in her teal-coloured high heels. 

“Time to go, Lils,” Mary warned, popping her head back into the bathroom and startling Lily out of her reverie. 

Lily hastily put the finishing touches onto her makeup – she had gone for a fresh, natural look – and followed her friend to the door of the apartment. Her taxi was already waiting. 

“Good luck!” Mary said, giving her a quick hug. “Though in that dress, you hardly need it.”

Lily smiled, and gave her friend a wave as she got into the taxi. 

Her driver was of the strong, silent type, leaving Lily alone with her thoughts. Normally this would be very much to her liking, but tonight she found herself wishing the man would say something to distract her from her nerves.

Because she was going on a date with the Prince. _The Prince of England._

Lily knotted her fingers nervously in her lap. She might be a critically acclaimed actress, but he was a _prince,_ for crying out loud. What on earth had Mary been thinking, setting them up? 

All too soon, the taxi was pulling up in front of the restaurant. Lily got out and hesitated in front of the door, half-tempted to call the taxi back and tell the driver to take her home.

 _Pull yourself together,_ Lily scolded herself. _You agreed to this thing. You are going to go through with it._

Before she could change her mind, she put her hand to the door and pushed it open. 

“Welcome to Everleigh Night Club!” the receptionist said with huge, dazzling smile. “We hope you have a great time tonight.”

“Thank you,” Lily said, making her way to the bar. 

She sat down and started scrolling through the texts Mary had sent her, checking and double-checking the time and place. They stayed the same every time – Everleigh Night Club, eight-thirty. Prince James was late.

 _How un-princely,_ Lily thought, hiding a grin. 

Lily was so absorbed in her thoughts that she completely failed to notice Prince James’s arrival. He pulled up the chair opposite hers and said, “Lily Evans?”

Lily dropped her phone and looked up, startled. “Oh, hi – er, um, I mean, Your Royal Highness, it’s an honour to meet you.” Flushing bright red, she stood up and curtsied awkwardly.  


Prince James seemed half-embarrassed and half-amused, running a hand through his thick black hair and gesturing for her to sit down. “Oh, er, that’s not necessary. Just call me James.”  


“James,” she repeated. “I’m Lily.” She blushed again. “Which, of course, you already knew.”  


James was definitely amused now. “We can shake hands if you want.”  


“Would that be acceptable?” Lily asked, struggling to regain her dignity. “Don’t you royals have a lot of protocols for that kind of thing?”  


“Oh, we do,” James said, meeting her eyes and nodding gravely. “First, you order a bottle of champagne and christen it with a kiss. Then you can shake my hand, provided that you’re wearing a red dress with heels no lower than ten centimetres.”  


Lily gaped at him for a second or so, then rolled her eyes. “You’re kidding.”  


“No, I’m dead serious,” James said solemnly. “Though we can make some exceptions to the protocol if the lady in question is beautiful enough.”  


He was definitely flirting, Lily decided, but in a teasing sort of way. _I can do that too,_ she thought, suppressing a smirk.  


“Do I meet the requirements, Your Royal Highness?” Lily enquired, batting her eyelashes and cupping her face in her hands.  


James’s grin widened. “I wouldn’t dare risk a redhead’s ire, my lady.”  


“Is that a yes?”  


James’s hazel eyes sparkled playfully as he nodded, extending his hand. Lily took it and shook firmly, taking the chance to really look him over for the first time.  


Mary was right. James was _very_ handsome.  


His grin lit up his entire face, making his already attractive features even more appealing. Behind his glasses, his hazel eyes were filled with a kindness that struck a chord in Lily’s heart. His untidy black hair stuck up in all directions, which she found annoyingly cute.  


And he was _fit._ Very much so, in fact.  


All in all, he was everything she could have hoped for and more.  


She let go of his hand before things got awkward, dropping her eyes and casually pocketing her phone.  


_How would you behave if this was a regular date?_ she asked herself.  


_Well, I would ask him some questions about himself, then figure out if I liked the sound of him enough to let things go further,_ her logical side replied.  


Clearing her throat, Lily looked up at James again. “So… James. Prince of England. That’s quite something, isn’t it?”  


He shuffled uncomfortably in his seat. “Well, it’s just me being born lucky, I guess.”  


Lily was surprised. She hadn’t expected him to be so modest.  


“I try not to take advantage of my birth,” he explained, obviously having seen the surprise on her face. “It’s just a lucky accident, really.”  


“A _very_ lucky accident,” she said with a grin.  


James returned the smile. “That’s definitely true. But enough about me. Tell me something about you.”  


“Well, I’m an actress,” she began.  


“Really? I _knew_ your name sounded familiar.”  


Lily rolled her eyes. “Nah, that’s probably just because Mary never shuts up about me. You probably haven’t even seen _Legal_ – that’s the TV show I’m in.”  


“Oh…er, yeah, I’ve never heard about that.” He raised a hand to ruffle his hair, looking awkward.  


“You should watch it some time,” Lily said before she could help herself. “Sorry, shameless self-promoting there.”  


“I’m guilty of exactly the same thing far too often,” James said with an easy smile. “For example, my work with Sentebale. Er – that’s the charity I founded with the Prince of Lesotho to help underprivileged children in southern Africa.”  


“I’ve heard of that,” Lily said, studying James with renewed interest. “You do great work.”  


“Not me personally,” James said, looking faintly embarrassed again. “I’m just the guy with the money to _make_ those great things happen.”  


There was that modesty again – so against everything Lily had expected from a prince. She liked it.  


“That’s important too,” she said. “If it wasn’t for all the donations we get, I wouldn’t have been able to do what I do for World Vision.”  


“You work for World Vision?” James was looking at her with the same interest in his eyes that she had felt just a few moments before.  


“I do,” she said with a grin. “I love charity work. My most recent job was in Rwanda. I was doing a study to see –”  


“The importance of clean water,” James interrupted. “I saw the article on World Vision’s webpage. You’re a World Ambassador, aren’t you?”  


“I’m very proud to say that I am,” Lily agreed.  


“I was right! No wonder your name sounded so familiar.”  


“On the subject of familiar names –“ Lily began.  


“Don’t start,” James groaned. “I have _four_ names, and all of them are about as ridiculously famous as my face.”  


“I don’t know all four of your names,” she said, quirking an eyebrow.  


“I’m glad,” James said, with an honest grin. “They’re pretty terrible.”  


“Now I _have_ to know,” Lily teased.  


James slapped his palm to his face. “Do you _have_ to?”  


“You can hear mine if I can hear yours,” she bargained.  


“I don’t think that’s quite fair,” he complained. “Your names are bound to be pretty simple. Mine are as posh as anything.”  


“I could just Google it,” she reasoned.  


James’s eyes widened. “You wouldn’t!”  


“Do you want to try me?”  


“I heard about the black eye incident from Mary, so I think not,” he said with a deep chuckle. “All right, then. James Arthur William Charlus Pottersmouth at your service.”  


Lily giggled, then tried in vain to suppress it. “Hey!” James protested good-naturedly.  


“You win,” she said, still laughing behind her hand. “That’s pretty bad.”  


“Told you so,” he said triumphantly. “But we had a bargain, remember? Your turn to tell me your name.”  


“Lily Melissa Evans,” she said with her prettiest smile. “Delighted to meet you, Mr James Arthur William Charlus Pottersmouth.”  


“Oh, you wanna play it like that? All right, then, we’ll play it like that.” Pulling out his phone, James typed furiously for a few seconds, then broke into a grin.  


“I’ve just found your nickname,” he said.  


Lily thought she knew what was coming, and groaned.  


“Lily Honeybee Evans!” James exclaimed, looking far too pleased with himself for her taste.  


“That is not funny,” she said, slapping his arm. “For once, I’m not at all happy about being right.”  


“So you knew that Melissa means ‘honeybee?’”  


“I did,” Lily said, burying her face in her hands. “Worst day of my life, finding that one out.”  


“I think it’s cute,” James said, with that crooked smile that (entirely against her will) she found so appealing.  


“You’re a terrible flirt, you know that?”  


“Hey, so are you.”  


“Looks like we match pretty well, then.”  


“Looks like we do.”  


Their eyes met, and the smile they shared started off teasing, but gradually turned serious the longer they stared at each other.  


_Mary was dead right,_ Lily realised. _This could be just the guy I was waiting for._  


In normal circumstances, this thought would have severely alarmed her.  


But tonight she was with James.  


Tonight, nothing was too far or too fast – everything was just… right.  


*****  


James ran a hand through his hair, taking a deep breath as he gathered his courage. _It’s just a date,_ he told himself. _Nothing to be worried about._  


He pushed open the door and stepped into the pulsing lights of Everleigh Night Club.  


The receptionist behind the counter looked up and smiled, recognizing James. “Your Royal Highness! It’s a pleasure to see you, as always. What can we do for you tonight?”  


“I’m meeting someone,” James told him. “A girl called Lily Evans. You wouldn’t happen to know where she is?”  


The receptionist girl gave him a half-surprised look. “She wouldn’t be that curvy redhead I just let in, would she?”  


James grinned. “That’s probably her.”  


“She’s at the bar,” the receptionist informed him, gesturing with a sweep of her hand.  


He saw her immediately – with hair that red, she was not at all difficult to spot. She was reading something on her phone with a tiny smile on her face, her green eyes glazed as though lost in some daydream.  


She was, without a doubt, the most beautiful woman James had ever seen.  


_Summon that princely charm, my good fellow,_ he told himself. _You’re going to need it._  


He walked over to the bar and sat down in the seat opposite her. She didn’t seem to notice him, though, so he cleared his throat and said, “Lily Evans?”  


She looked up, blushing when she noticed him. James couldn’t help thinking that she looked even prettier with pink cheeks.  


“Oh, hi – er, um, I mean, Your Royal Highness, it’s an honour to meet you,” she said awkwardly, standing up and curtsying clumsily.  


James ran a hand through his hair, hoping to appear casual. “Oh, er, that’s not necessary. Just call me James.”  


“James,” she repeated, and he found really liked how his name sounded on her lips. “I’m Lily. Which, of course, you already knew.”  


She was blushing again. James smiled, trying to put her at her ease. “We can shake hands if you want,” he said, half-teasingly and half-seriously.  


She raised an eyebrow. “Would that be acceptable? Don’t you royals have a lot of protocols for that kind of thing?”  


“Oh, we do,” James said, unable to resist the temptation of teasing her. “First, you order a bottle of champagne and christen it with a kiss. Then you can shake my hand, provided that you’re wearing a red dress with heels no lower than ten centimetres.”  


Her jaw dropped, and she looked as if she might actually believe him. Then she rolled her eyes. “You’re kidding.”  


“No, I’m dead serious,” James said, succeeding in stifling his grin and nodding solemnly at her. “Though we can make some exceptions to the protocol if the lady in question is beautiful enough.”  


He couldn’t help himself – flirting came as naturally to him as pranking, and it had been a long time since he had done either of those things.  


“Do I meet the requirements, Your Royal Highness?” Lily asked, fluttering her eyelashes and staring angelically up at him with her head cupped in her hands.  


“I wouldn’t dare risk a redhead’s ire, my lady,” James said, letting his smile broaden into a natural, teasing one.  


“Is that a yes?” she wanted to know.  


James grinned and held out his hand for her to shake.  


Her hand was soft and warm in his, reminding him acutely of how long it had been since he had had a girlfriend.  


_Keep those thoughts in line,_ he told himself sternly. _This is your first date. And don’t forget that black eye story, either._  


Black eye story or no, James couldn’t stop himself from giving her an admiring once-over as they shook hands.  


She really was stunning, with bright red hair falling in a graceful waves around her well-formed face, a dash of freckles accenting the vivid green of her eyes and curves in all the right places.  


He felt a momentary stab of disappointment as she dropped his hand, then told himself once more to get his act together.  


_If you like the look of her so much, stop gawping at her like a moony-eyed idiot. That’s hardly going to make her like you back._  


Pleased with his reasoning, James answered her questions with all the charm, honesty and modesty he could muster.  


He asked polite questions of his own, finding that he liked Lily Evans more and more with every cheerful answer she gave.  


Genuine interest sparked when she mentioned her charity work with World Vision – now that was a cause they could agree on.  


As an added bonus, he now knew why her name had seemed so familiar. He said so, causing Lily to smile happily up at him.  


“On the subject of familiar names,” she began.  


James interrupted before she could get too far. “Don’t start. I have four names, and all of them are about as ridiculously famous as my face.”  


“I don’t know all four of your names,” she said, raising an eyebrow challengingly. He worried for a moment he had offended her by suggesting that she should.  


“I’m glad,” he said with a disarming smile. “They’re pretty terrible.”  


She smiled mischievously. “Oh, now I _have_ to know.”  


James was relieved. He silently thanked his lucky stars that he _hadn’t_ accidentally offended her.  


But the thought of her knowing his full name – which really was pretty ridiculous – didn’t bear thinking about. So he slapped his forehead and groaned, “Do you _have_ to?”  


“You can hear mine if I can hear yours,” she offered.  


“I don’t think that’s quite fair. Your names are bound to be pretty simple. Mine are as posh as anything.”  


“I could just Google it,” she suggested with a grin.  


James was secretly impressed. She was a clever one. He liked clever ones – they were so much better than the all-blonde-no-brain stereotypes Sirius was constantly trying to hook him up with.  


Widening his eyes comically, he gasped, “You wouldn’t!”  


“Do you want to try me?”  


“I heard about the black eye incident from Mary,” he said, and a faint blush appeared on her cheeks. “So I think not. All right, then. James Arthur William Charlus Pottersmouth, at your service.”  


She giggled, then tried poorly to disguise it as a cough.  


“Hey!” he complained, but he was unable to keep the amusement from his voice. How many times had he laughed at his own name, after all?  


“You win,” she said, hiding the last of her giggling fit behind her hand. “That’s pretty terrible.”  


“Told you so! But we had a bargain, remember? Your turn to tell me your name.”  


“Lily Melissa Evans,” she said, with a smile so beautiful that it completely knocked him off balance. “Delighted to meet you, Mr James Arthur William Charlus.”  


There was that playful sense of humour again. Really, did she want to drive him completely mad? Every criterion he could think of, she passed without so much as a flutter of her eyelashes.  


He quickly Googled the name Melissa, hoping fervently that it might have some embarrassing meaning.  


He nearly laughed aloud at what he saw.  


_The female given name “Melissa” means “bee” in Greek. This was the name of a nymph that cared for young Zeus in Greek mythology. It is also the name of…_  


“Lily Honeybee Evans!” he said, genuinely delighted to have found such a perfect nickname. Not only did it perfectly describe her sweet personality, it also gently teased her auburn hair.  


“That is _not_ funny,” Lily said severely (but it definitely was.) “For once, I’m not at all pleased with being right.”  


“So you knew that Melissa means ‘honeybee?’”  


She buried her face in her hands, but he could see that her cheeks were flaming through the gaps in her fingers. “I did. Worst day of my life, finding that one out.”  


“I think it’s cute,” James blurted before he could stop himself. Mentally he kicked himself – _you big-mouthed idiot, you’ve ruined everything!_  


But Lily didn’t seem to mind too much. “You’re a terrible flirt, you know,” she said, looking up to shoot him a half-smile, half-scowl.  


He thought that was taking it a bit far. “Hey, so are you.”  


“Looks like we match pretty well, then,” she said easily.  


James froze. _She did not just say that._  


But she had!  


“Looks like we do,” he said hoarsely.  


Their eyes met, and just like that he knew he had found her. After years and years of fruitless searching, he had found _the one._  


A flicker of – well, of something – passed between them as they shared a smile. What it was, James couldn’t say.  


But it was definitely there.  


He knew Lily had felt it too by the way her cheeks flushed just a little. They broke eye contact at exactly the same time, both feeling suddenly shy and clumsy.  


They sipped their drinks in silence for a few moments, until the awkwardness of it all became too much for James.  


“Lily?” he said softly, putting a gentle hand on her shoulder.  


She shivered – actually _shivered_ – at his touch. “Yes, James?”  


“We should do this again.”  


Their eyes met again, and the same unnamed something made itself known again.  


“When are you open?” she asked.  


James groaned as he remembered. “I’m flying back to the UK on Monday.”  


“And I’m going camping with my parents this weekend,” she said, echoing his dismayed groan.  


“Diaries out,” he said, pulling up the calendar app on his phone.  


She gave him a strange look, and he quirked an eyebrow. “We don’t really say that in the States,” she said by way of explanation.  


_“Calendars_ out, then,” he amended.  


She grinned. “You’re a clever boy, Prince James.”  


“Why thank you, Miss Honeybee.”  


“Don’t you dare call me that,” she said, but the threat was a half-hearted one going by the laughter shaking her frame.  


“As you wish, Madam Honeybee,” he said teasingly.  


“Oh, God, no,” she groaned, practically collapsing with laughter.  


“Which is it to be, then? Miss or Madam?”  


“Definitely miss,” she said. Her eyes lit up playfully. “Mr Pottersmouth.”  


“Touché,” he said, returning her grin.  


“Shall we swap numbers?” she asked, still smiling.  


“We shall,” he said formally, tossing her his phone. “The password is _Algernon.”_  


She froze, the smile still playing on her lips. “Algernon? Is there something you’re not telling me?”  


“Er… it’s my cat’s name,” he confessed.  


Lily broke out into peals of laughter. “Oh…my… _god,”_ she said between chuckles. “That’s the best thing I’ve heard all night. Prince James of England has a cat called _Algernon.”_  


“Do you have any pets?” he challenged.  


She smiled affectionately. “Two dogs – Guy and Bogart.”  


“I’m sorry, _what?_ Did you just say _Bogart?”_  


“Hey, you called your cat Algernon,” she laughed, holding up her hands as though saying _my point is made._  


Unfortunately, it was.  


Sirius’s favourite thing to do (right after snogging Marlene and pulling silly pranks on the staff) was teasing James about Algernon.  


“Just put your number in the phone,” he said.  


She did so, still laughing silently.  


James returned the favour, putting himself in her contacts as Prince Algernon with a series of laughing emojis.  


He took the opportunity to scroll through her phone calendar, noticing that almost every day was labelled _Filming Legal – Toronto Studio._  


Then he saw something that made his heart skip a beat.  


Right there, on July 10th, was written _UK: World Vision promo._  


“You’re in London on the tenth of July,” he said, holding out the phone for Lily to see.  


She gasped. “I forgot about that!”  


“Can we meet up?” he asked impulsively.  


“There’s nothing I’d like more,” she said happily.  


They passed the rest of the night with playful banter and a healthy dose of laughter (Lily was full of hilarious stories about filming a TV show, and James had his fair share of palace anecdotes.)  


He wished the night would never end, but inevitably it did. He walked Lily out of the nightclub, tugging on her hand as she stepped towards the taxi.  


She laughed, tilting her face up to his, and he was overwhelmed yet again by how beautiful she was.  


Oh, how he wanted to kiss her.  


But he held himself back, instead pulling her close for an affectionate hug. “You better not forget our date,” he whispered into her citrusy-scented hair.  


“Just you try to keep me away,” she returned playfully, holding him for a few seconds and then stepping back reluctantly.  


“Until July tenth, Miss Honeybee,” he said, waving as she got into the taxi.  


“Until July tenth, Prince Algernon,” she agreed with a radiant smile.  


He watched her go, grinning like the lovesick idiot he was even when her taxi had long since vanished into the night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **This chapter is dedicated to Meghan Markle – you are an amazing woman, and I couldn’t support you more in the work you do.  
>   
>  I wish you all a very happy 2020, and I hope to see you soon with the next chapter.**


	3. Aftermath

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> (Loosely based on the love story of Prince Harry of England and actress Meghan Markle – because I’m a HUGE royal fan)   
> He was Prince James Arthur William Charlus, the Duke of Pottersmouth. She was Lily Evans, American actress and model.   
> They were set up on a blind date by a mutual friend, and the rest, as they say, is history… 
> 
> IN THIS CHAPTER: James and Lily reflect on the date. There is much love-sick grinning, much to their friends' amusement.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **It's been far too long since I've updated this fic, and there's been quite a lot going on royally, hasn't there? I plan to make some tributes to the current situation a few chapters on, so get ready for that. But for now, we're still in the land of fluff and lovesick grins! I hope you all enjoy it.**

Lily unlocked her apartment and dropped her keys in the fruit bowl, closing the door behind her again and leaning against it. She had no doubt that she was wearing a ridiculously love-sick grin, but she couldn’t find it in herself to care. 

Two sets of _awww’s_ startled her from her mushy thoughts, and she looked up sharply. Alice and Mary were seated on her couch, both looking at her with identical eager expressions. 

“You guys waited up for me?” she asked, grinning anew. 

“How was it?” they chorused. 

Lily collapsed on the couch and stared up at the ceiling, smiling like an idiot. She was just so… _happy._

“That good, huh?” Alice asked, amused. 

Mary was ecstatic. “I knew it! I _knew_ it!”

Lily laughed. “OK, OK, you were completely right.”

Mary squealed and hugged her. 

When they had calmed down somewhat, ever-practical Alice asked, “How good was it, exactly?” 

Lily found herself smiling stupidly yet again. “Amazing,” she breathed. 

“We need details,” Mary demanded. 

Lily grinned. “I think I’ll keep those to myself, thanks.”

“Hey!” her friend protested. “You wouldn’t even have gone on that date if it wasn’t for me.”

“You’re right,” Lily said, relenting far more quickly than she normally would have – her mood was far too happy for an argument. 

“So… the date. Well… where to start…”

“Start with James,” Alice suggested. “What was he like?”

Lily considered. “Genuinely nice,” she said at last, laughing a little as she recalled his effortless charm. 

“Extremely handsome and a bit of a flirt,” she continued. “Funny. He likes pulling pranks, and he’s got the most hilarious way of telling you all about them.”

She was smiling again, and she didn’t miss Mary nudging Alice with a gleeful expression on her face. She chose to ignore it, though, and went on with her enthusiastic description of James.

“He can be ridiculously charming when he wants to be. He seems distant – very politely so – at first, but the more you talk to him the more _real_ he becomes. Down-to-earth, you know? And modest. Surprisingly so. Not at all boastful about his wealth.”

Mary cleared her throat to interrupt Lily’s rambling. Both she and Alice turned to look enquiringly at her. 

“I feel I should tell you that James wasn’t always the gentleman you met tonight,” she said. 

Lily snorted. “I know about his past, Mary. He was very frank about it. I told him in no uncertain terms that he sounded like an arrogant toerag.” 

Mary spluttered a laugh. “And what did he say to that?”

“Well, first he looked stunned,” Lily said, chuckling at the memory. “But then he agreed. He assured me that he’s changed now, though, and I can see that he really has.”

“Oh. Well, in that case, don’t let me interrupt.”

Lily rolled her eyes, but picked up where she had left off with no decrease of enthusiasm. “He’s passionate about his charity work – it’s quite inspiring, actually.”

“I bet you guys connected over that,” Alice interrupted. 

“We did,” she said, saluting Alice. “Shrewdly deduced.”

“It wasn’t that hard,” her friend said wryly. “I _know_ you, after all.”

“So do I,” Mary said, wearing an undeniably smug expression. “So, share with me the results of my genius. How was the actual date?”

“You’re so dramatic,” Lily complained good-naturedly. 

“Actress,” Mary reminded.

Lily raised her hands, laughing. “You win. So, the date. Well…”

“Lost for words, are you?” Alice teased. 

“Actually, yes,” Lily admitted. “It was nothing like any other dates I’ve been on. Everything just felt so… _right.”_

“This is definitely the happiest I’ve ever seen you after a date,” Mary said, studying Lily closely.

“I think this _is_ the happiest I’ve ever been after a date,” she confessed. “It was just so… I don’t know how to describe it without sounding like a soppy romance novel. Saying it was _perfect_ sounds unbearably cliché, but that’s really how it felt.”

“So will you be seeing him again?” Alice asked, a small smile playing on her lips. 

“Well, it looks like it,” Lily said happily. 

Mary squealed. “Lils, I can’t believe I forgot – you’re going to the UK for the World Vision promotion next week!”

“I know!” Lily said with genuine delight. “James and I have arranged a date for that Friday night.”

“LILY!” 

She shrieked with laughter as her friends leapt on top of her, burying her in an ecstatic group hug. 

“I’m so happy for you, Lils,” Alice said, finally rolling off Lily and reluctantly getting her coat off its hook. “But it’s getting really late, and I’d better be off.”

“Don’t want Frank getting worried,” Lily teased, hugging her fondly. “Invite me to your wedding, would you?”

Alice rolled her eyes, but she was definitely blushing. “You’re ridiculous. We only started dating a year ago.”

“And?” Mary wanted to know. 

Alice groaned. “You can’t get married after just a year of dating!”

“Oh yes you can,” Lily corrected. “Benjy and Florence did.”

“But Frank and I are…”

“Old-fashioned?” Mary suggested with a giggle. Alice slapped her arm. 

“Be off with you,” Lily said with a good-natured laugh. _“Both_ of you,” she added with a significant look at Mary. “I’ve got to be up fairly early for that camping trip thing I’ve got tomorrow.”

Mary kicked up a huge fuss, but Lily could tell she was pretending and shooed her out without much sympathy. She really did have a camping trip early the next day. 

And she also wanted to go over her date in the peace of her own thoughts for a while. It had been fun and all to have her friends over, but there were some things that were best thought about alone. 

She wriggled into a set of pyjamas and curled up in her bed, absent-mindedly stroking Bogart and Guy.

_I’ve never had a date quite like this one. It was so… natural, so_ right, _once we got over the awkwardness of him being a prince._

“James” and “prince” hardly seemed to fit into the same sentence, anyway – the man she had met (and – dare she say it – fallen for) was the exact opposite of what she had expected a prince to be like. 

She found herself smiling again. _How does he make me so happy?_

_Does it matter?_ her romantic side, for once, overruled her inherent scepticism. _Just enjoy it while it lasts._

Lily promised herself that she would do exactly that. 

*****  
James was still grinning like an idiot when he got back to the Four Seasons Toronto hotel where he and Sirius had been staying for the past week.

As though thinking of him had summoned him, Sirius was sprawled on the couch Skyping Marlene.

“Aha, here he is!” he announced, with far too much relish. 

“So how was it?” Marlene demanded. 

“Hello to you too, Marls,” he greeted with a chuckle. 

Marlene ignored him. “Is he wearing a love-sick grin? Please tell me he’s wearing a love-sick grin.”

Sirius turned his tablet towards James. “See for yourself.”

“He _is!”_ Marlene squealed. 

“No doubt exists,” Sirius agreed. 

“I don’t think _I_ grinned this much after our first date,” Marlene said. “That must mean it was pretty damn excellent. Am I right, James?”

He was far too euphoric to be annoyed by his sister-in-law’s teasing. Instead, he collapsed on the couch next to Sirius, tugging the tablet from his hands so he could see Marlene properly.

“It was… fantastic,” he confessed. 

Marlene beamed. “I’m so happy for you, James!”

“Did you kiss?” Sirius asked with patronising interest. 

“Yes, we need _details,_ James,” Marlene added gleefully. 

James resisted the urge to roll his eyes. “No, Padfoot, we did not kiss. It was our first date!”

“So?” Sirius asked, showing off the ravishing grin that drove so many girls wild. 

“Sirius and I snogged even _before_ our first date,” Marlene said without a trace of shame. 

“Too much information, guys,” James said. 

Marlene smirked at him. “That’s nothing, Potter. We have a baby.”

“I am going to pretend I did not just hear that,” James said, putting his hands over his ears and pulling a disgusted face. 

“Speaking of baby, how is Leo?” Sirius asked, his face undergoing a lightning change from scoundrel to loving father. 

Marlene gave him a _look._ “Asleep, at last, and no thanks to you.”

“You know you love me,” Sirius said, all roguish charm again.

“Do I know that?” Marlene wondered, then turned her attention to James. “Don’t think you’re forgotten, mister. I still want to hear all about your little date.”

“It wasn’t a _little_ date,” James protested before he could stop himself. 

Sirius arched an eyebrow. “Not little, he says, and yet he confesses that he didn’t even share a kiss with the lovely Miss Evans.”

“Rubbish,” James said defensively. “You don’t have to kiss for a date to be a big deal.”

“Ah, so what makes a date a big deal?” Marlene wanted to know. 

“Well –” James began, then trailed off, flummoxed. Sirius smirked. 

Irritated, James said the first thing that came to mind, “A date is a big deal if you fall in love, Pads.”

Sirius and Marlene exchanged delighted looks. James realised what he had said and groaned aloud. “I didn’t mean it like that!”

“Oh yes you did, my dear Prongs,” Sirius said with a smug grin. 

“You are officialy in love, brother dear,” Marlene added, smiling with deep satisfaction.

James buried his face in his hands. “Really, you two?”

“Yes, really,” Marlene said, her voice taking a turn for the tender. “We care about you, James, and we want you to be happy.”

“Not only because of the massive teasing advantages,” Sirius said, straight-faced. James threw him with a pillow. 

Marlene clicked her tongue. “Ignore him.”

“I do,” he assured her. 

“Hey!” Sirius protested. 

“I love you, Sirius, but you can be an insensitive git sometimes,” Marlene said matter-of-factly. 

“Hey!” Sirius said again.

“Oh, shut it,” Marlene sighed, exasperated.

Sirius’s scowl changed into a suggestive smirk. “Do I sense a bribe, wife?”

“You do not, husband,” she replied without batting an eyelash. 

“But it’s been two weeks since I’ve seen you properly!”

“You poor thing.”

“James, why did I marry this woman again? She has no heart.”

“I’m sorry, I have no heart? When last did you look in the mirror?”

“Why, just a few minutes ago! My face is as handsome as ever, I assure you.”

“You are the most –”

Sirius and Marlene’s bickering faded into familiar background noise as James lapsed into a pleasant look-back of the date. 

It had been so… perfect.

_Lily_ had been so perfect. 

She was everything he ever wanted, and more, so much more. Beautiful, kind, passionate, funny, clever… in short, every positive adjective he could think of. 

A soft _aww_ from Marlene broke into his daydreaming. He looked down at the tablet, momentarily having forgotten that he wasn’t alone. 

“You look so _happy,_ James,” his sister-in-law said, affection shining in her dark eyes. 

Sirius, for once, did not make a snide comment, instead asking with surprising earnestness, “Are you seeing her again, Prongs?”

“Yeah,” he said, smiling a huge, sappy smile. “Lily’s coming to the UK for the World Vision promo on the tenth of July. We arranged a date for that night.”

“That’s great, James,” Marlene said, giving him a supportive smile. 

“I’m glad you found someone who makes you this happy,” Sirius said in a rare demonstration of brotherly love and concern. 

“Thanks, you two,” he said, genuinely touched.

Marlene took a screenshot from the Skype feed. “When you two end up married, I am showing this to all the guests,” she said delightedly. 

“Marly!” James protested, flushing bright red. 

“Oh, be off with you, Prongs,” Sirius said good-naturedly. “My lovely wife and I need some alone time, and I’m sure you want to go daydream about a certain redhead in a white gown on your own.”

James fled, Marlene and Sirius’s chuckles following him out of the room. 

In the bedroom, he collapsed on his bed, burying his head in the pillow. _Those two are bloody impossible._

But they were right, weren’t they? 

Lily was exactly the kind of girl he _would_ want to marry someday. 

In normal circumstances, this thought would have made him fear for his own sanity.

But since it was Lily, he merely smiled a stupidly love-sick smile at the ceiling. 

_I found her,_ he thought, over and over. _At long last. I found her._

He was still smiling when he fell asleep hours later.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **This chapter was a bit of a filler, I’m sorry – hopefully you all still enjoyed it? If you did, please do let me know!**
> 
> **I’ll try my best to have the next chapter (the Jily reunion in London – hooray!) out by next Friday. Cheers!**


End file.
